Door operating mechanism



y 1935- l. M. vcmwums 2,003,037

DOOR OPERATING MECHANI SM Filed March 30, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet l WITNESSES: l N VEN TOR:

Isaac Mflmmans,

$Z4 u y W @ATTORNEYS.

May 28, 1935.

l. M. CHAMBERS DO0R OPERATING MECHANISM Filed March 30, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I N VEN TOR: Isaaa ML'hambars, By W A TTORNEYS.

W1 TNBS'SES:

Patented May 28, 1935 UNITED STATES PATEiNT OFFICE This invention relates to improvements in door operating mechanisms and more specifically to a door operating mechanism which is particularly adapted to sliding doors on box cars and merchandise containers.

Hand grips are ordinarily provided on doors of this variety for the purpose of sliding the doors but some sort of leverage power is nearly always needed in first starting the door open or in forcing it completely shut. One object of the invention is to provide a door operating mechanism including a locking device which gives a powerful leverage in initially forcing open the door and also during the last part of the closing movement of the door.

Another object is to provide a mechanism of this sort which is operated completely by manipulating the handle in one continuous operation including engagement and disengagement and without the necessity of having to adjust or engage other elements of the device as a prefatory step. I

A further object is to provide a strong serviceable locking device which may be easily installed,

without elaborate changes in the form of door construction of the car or container.

Other objects and-advantages of the invention will be apparent from the detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof which follows and which has reference to the accompanying drawings. Of the drawings:

Fig. I shows a side view of mydoor operatin mechanism as installed on a pair of sliding doors, partially shown in the closed position.

Fig. II is a plan section of same taken as indicated by the arrows IIII in Fig. I.

Fig. III is a view, similar to Fig. II, of my door operating mechanism with the doors slightly open, showing thelocking elements in different po- SitionS.

Fig. IV is a cross-section taken about the lines IVIV of Fig. I, showing the operation of the engaging lugs.

Fig. V is a cross-section taken about the lines V-V of Fig. I, showing the operation of the looking pin.

Fig. VI is a perspective view of the locking casting.

This door operating mechanism comprises generally an operating handle I having bifurcations 2 which pivotally engage the link 3 which in turn is pivotally connected to the door 4,

8 extending through holes I0 in the bifurcations 2 and the hole II in the extension 6. While this preferred embodiment of my invention is shown as adapted to two sliding doors 4 and 8, it is obvious that it may be used also with other door types and combinations to advantage. The doors 4 and 8 each have an angle iron I5 running along the adjacent edges with weather stripping I8 mounted on one of the angle irons IS in the usual manner to provide a weather seal when the doors 4 and 8 are closed.

The link 3 is pivotally attached to the angle iron I5 of the door 4 by means of a pin I0 and a clip I9 which is securely fastened to the angle iron I 5 by a countersunkvrivet 20. It will be noted that this countersunk rivet 20 extends completely through the door 4 to give great strength and, if desirable, greater strength may be obtained by welding the clip I9 around its edges to the angle iron- IS. The link 3 is shaped with an elbow at 2| to allow free pivotal movement of the. outer end thereof around the angle irons I5 tothe locking casting I. The link I is pivotally attached between the bifurcations 2 of the operating handle I by a pin 22. The extension 6 of the link 3 is so designed that it may be housed between-"the bifurcations 2 when the operating 'handle I is in the locking position as shown in Figs. I and II.

The operating handle I is made of two pieces of strong metal jointed together by rivets 24, each of these pieces being bent outward for a portion of their length to form substantially parallel bifurcations 2. At the extremities of the bifurcations 2 are mounted the lugs 5 which in this case are formed from a single pin to further strengthen the handle I which passes through both bifurcations and is secured by welding. When the handle I is in the locked position it lies parallel with the plane of the door 8 and very close thereto. In order to allow room between the handle I and the face of the door 8 the handle proper is formed to make an obtuse angle with the rest of the handle I so that when the handle I is in the closed position the handle proper extends outward at an acute angle from the face of the door 8.

The locking casting I is securely fastened-to the angle iron I5 of the door 8 bymeans of a rivet 3| which extends through both the angle iron I5 and the. door 8. Further strength may be obtained by welding the locking casting 1 along its edges to the angle iron I5. The locking casting I is formed with pockets 32 at each end and slots 30 allowing access to each pocket I! by the lugs '5. The length of these pockets 32 is suificient to provide retaining lips 34 for holding in place the lugs 5 as they press against the faces 35 and 38 of the pocket 32 in closing and opening, respectively, the doors 4 and 8. The lips 34 adjacent the face 35 provide the locking feature of this device by preventing the lugs 5 from being disengaged from the locking casting I without moving the handle I from its locked position adjacent the face of the door 8. This locked position of the handle I is affirmatively insured by the locking pin 9\ extending through the holes IU of the bifurcatioris 2 and the hole II in the extension 6 of the link 3. A-slot 40 in the end of the locking pin 9 is provided for a sealing strip or other type of lock. The holes Ill and are designed to be in registry when the handle I is in its extreme locking position against the face of the door 8 and when the pin 9 is in place the lugs 5 cannot be disengaged from the locking casting I because of the lips 34. A chain 4I secured at one end to the pin 9 and at the other end to the ear 42 which is riveted to the angle iron I5 ofthe door 8, prevents the pin from being lost when the locking device is unlocked, and the pin 9 is not in use.

The operation of this door operating mechanism is best described by following it through one complete operation of opening and closing the doors 4 and 8. Beginning with the doors 4 and 8 open, the handle I is grasped and the doors 4 and 8 are pushed until the lugs 5 can be guided through the slots 33 into engagement with the pockets 32 of the locking casting I. The operating handle I is then used as a lever about the fulcrum provided by the pin 22 and the lug 5 is thus forced against the face 35 of the pocket 32 urging the doors 4- and 8 closed, compressing the weather stripping between theangle irons I5. When the doors 4 and 8 have been completely closed the operating handle I has been swung to a position adjacent the face of the door, 8 with the holes I and II in registry to receive the locking pin 9," the insertion of which accomplishes the complete looking of the doors 4 and 8 in the closed position. In order to open the doors 4 and 8 the locking pin 9 is removed, the operating handle I is grasped by the hand and pulled away from the face of the door 8, rotating about the pivot 22 until the lug comes into contact with the face 36 to urge the doors 4 and 8 awayfrom each other. When the operating handle I ha's'been swung to the position shown in Fig. III the'doors 4 and 8 have-been sufficiently started to allow them to be pushed easily and completely open after the lugs 5 have been disengaged from the locking casting I through the slots 83.

This device provides a door operating mechanism giving a powerful leverage in initially forcing open the door and also during the last part 'of the closing movement'of the door and at the same time provides an efficient locking device. Of course there could be substituted for the locking pin 9 a padlock or sealing strip customarily used on shipping containers. This device is characterized by simplicity of operation and ruggedness of its parts which is highly desirable to withstand rough usage. The device may be easily applied to any type of door by simply mounting the-clip I9 and the locking casting I on the doors without having to make any changes or additions to the doors. A particular advantage in this device is found in the fact that the opening or closing is accomplished in one continuous act from thetime the operating handle I is used to guide the lugs 5 into engagement with or out of engagement with the locking casting I until the doors 4 and 8 are thrust completely shut or open as the case may be. There is no necessity for first engaging the locking device as a preliminary operation to; the leverage operation as is the case in many door operating mechanisms now found in the prior art.

While my invention has been described in some detail with reference to a specific embodiment, various changes in the form of apparatus used are within the contemplation of the invention, and such. changes should not be deemed to constitute a departure from thespirit of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In combination with a door member and a door framing member, a link pivotally attached to one of said members, an operating handle pivotally attached to the link, said operating handle and said link each being extended beyond the common pivotal point of attachment, a lug mounted on the extension of the handle, a locking casting having a pocket to receive the lug in locking engagemenn said handle and said extension of the link having holes therein which are in registry when the door is locked shut and a removable locking pin through said holes.

2. In combination with a door member and a door framing member, a link pivotally attached to one of said members, a bifurcated operating handle pivotally attached to straddle said link, 

